Shaq wears Lakers championship ring to Heat ceremony

The Lakers blew a 19-point lead to lose by eight, have lost three straight games and only have one win since December 1.

Coming through for the Heat with big minutes in the second half include James Johnson, who ended up as the tallest player in Erik Spoelstra's ultra-small lineup during the final quarter as Whiteside rested for several minutes, filling up the box score with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes off the bench. He's been great for points and threes, but is pretty much lacking everywhere else.

Our team was so insane, I remember coming in and saying, 'Pat, the guys are partying on the beach and you got us practicing at 10 (a.m.).

Dragic was having a subpar game until he scored eight straight Heat points, a 58-second run that started with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter.

Kawhi Leonard leads the Spurs in scoring with 23.9 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge (16.6), Pau Gasol (11.8), Patty Mills (11.3) and Tony Parker (10) are also scoring in double-digits per game this season.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, it didn't go exactly as planned.

The Lakers, meanwhile, suffered a 117-113 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, with Clarkson leading the way with 25 points and Young adding 24 in the defeat. "I told the guys, we will get there".

Reserve shooting guard Lou Williams scored a team-high 27 points for the Lakers, while shooting guard Nick Young and point guard D'Angelo Russell added 20 and 17 points of their own, respectively. We shared the ball.

O'Neal previously had his jersey retired by the Lakers and is due a rather fantastic statue at Staples Center in March, but the Heat wanted to honor the greatest center in recent memory for helping bring the franchise its first National Basketball Association title. "But maybe we're missing something".

Walton also bemoaned the Lakers for not wrapping up Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who had 23 points, 13 rebounds. He ranks among the top 10 for both sides in several categories including field goal percentage, points per game, rebounds per game and blocked shots. "I don't know when its going to be".